9.10.2024 – Translated from Ukrainian via Google and OFP

Ukraine is experiencing quite significant problems with gunpowder, the main raw material for which is cotton, but it grows poorly here. At the same time, scientists from the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine recently presented a new variety of industrial hemp “Sofia”, which can be used to produce not only gunpowder.

OBOZ.UA talks about this and much more with Viktor Kabanets, director of the Institute of Bast Crops of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, located in Glukhov in the Sumy region.

Unfortunately, the state is not yet interested in this raw material.

– The announcement of the new variety of hemp was vaguely stated as “scientists from the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine”. Was it developed at your Institute of Bast Crops?

– No, the “Sophia” variety was developed at the Institute of Agriculture of the North-East of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences, which is located in Sumy. By the way, I was its director at the time. In general, any varieties of industrial hemp that are included in the state register “Plant Varieties of Ukraine” (there are 21 of them) can be used as raw material for gunpowder, not just “Sophia”.

There are varieties of a more fibrous direction, there are varieties of a grain direction – with a higher yield of seeds from which hemp oil is made (and the seeds themselves are very useful). Varieties of a fibrous direction, which include “Sofia”, are more suitable for the production of explosives. Including gunpowder. For example, there are varieties with a fiber content of up to 30%, and “Sofia” – up to 32%.

– Which raw material is better for producing gunpowder – cotton or hemp?

– It is believed that the best raw material for obtaining gunpowder is long-fiber varieties of hand-picked cotton. But I will note – only hand-picked. At the same time, scientists established ten years ago that gunpowder from hemp has higher thermodynamic properties than from cotton. In any case, it is quite difficult to grow cotton in Ukraine – in general, the climate is not the same. It is possible only in Crimea, in the Kherson and Odessa regions. And our Cossacks made gunpowder from hemp raw materials.

– They say that hemp can also be used as a raw material for producing bulletproof vests. That hemp fibers are in no way inferior to synthetic Kevlar, while the plates made from them are lighter than Kevlar.

– It is quite possible. Hemp fibers are very strong, it is known that a harpoon line made of hemp 15 mm thick could withstand a weight of up to 2800 kilograms and was used for whale hunting. I know that in the Kyiv region one enterprise produced hemp bulletproof vests, but for some reason they were not used. The same is true for gunpowder – the state, unfortunately, is not interested in this raw material yet.

– By the way, why was the variety named “Sophia”, in honor of the daughter of one of the breeders?

– You guessed it! Sofia is my granddaughter. My son’s daughter. Kabanets Vitaliy Viktorovich is a breeder, the author of the variety. Now he heads the Institute of Agriculture of the North-East of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine.

– What parts of the hemp are used to produce fibers – the stem, the leaves?

– Only stems are used to obtain fibers. They consist of several layers, and the outer layer is the fibrous layer. And leaves are not suitable for producing fibers. By the way, tree trunks are used to produce high-quality fuel pellets: hemp is one of the most energetic plants in the world.

– How difficult is it to develop a new variety of cannabis with given characteristics, how much time does it take?

– The efficiency of the work largely depends on the people who do this, and on the laboratory equipment, and on the source material. If we talk about “Sofia”, then this new variety was bred in 6 years – from the beginning of work to registration in the state register.

In general, in selection, it is very important to have high-quality source material, seeds of certain varieties. It is very important to create a variety, but it is no less important to support it through the seed production system. This is especially necessary for hemp, since it is cross-pollinated.

– Do you use your own seeds for selection or foreign ones as well? Are there many scientific institutes in the world similar to the Institute of Bast Crops and the Institute of Agriculture of the North-East?

– As initial forms, which are used in the selection process, we take both domestic and foreign varieties. And hemp selection is carried out in China, Poland, Finland, Italy, France, Russia.

Severshchyna and Slobozhanshchyna – the birthplace of hemp

– How difficult has it become to breed hemp after this crop was included in the list of the most dangerous drugs in 1961?

– After this decision was made at the UN Assembly, many countries banned the cultivation of hemp altogether. The Soviet Union went its own way: the All-Union Scientific Research Institute of Hemp in Glukhov (now the Institute of Bast Crops) was tasked with creating non-narcotic varieties of hemp. And in the 80s of the last century, the institute’s specialists coped with this task – varieties with a minimum content of tetrahydrocannabinol were created.

– Minimum – what percentage is that?

– Back in early August this year, the tetrahydrocannabinol standard for industrial hemp in Ukraine was 0.08%. We worked with these varieties, there were no problems. But in December 2023, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law on the legalization of medical cannabis, in January it was signed by the president, and in mid-August the law was ratified. It became easier.

Currently, the threshold figure for tetrahydrocannabinol content in Ukraine is 0.3%. If it is this much or less, it is industrial hemp, if it is higher, it is medical hemp (the maximum content can be up to several percent). The cultivation of industrial hemp is under the supervision of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy. And the Ministry of Health, represented by the State Service for Medicines and Drug Control, is in charge of medical hemp.

Returning to the question of how much the UN decision has complicated the cultivation of industrial hemp, I will say this: in 2008, the area under cultivation of this crop in Ukraine was the lowest in history, amounting to 300-400 hectares across the country. At the same time, 30% of the costs of growing hemp went to paying for security services. In 2012, relaxations began, mandatory security measures were cancelled, and this year the area under cultivation for the crop already amounted to about 3 thousand hectares. A tenfold increase!

– Do you think this figure will increase?

– Of course. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ukraine had 1 million hectares of hemp crops and about 30 factories for its processing. After all, Ukraine, its historical regions of Severshchyna and Slobozhanshchyna are the birthplace of hemp. Wild, well, it generally grows here on its own. When I taught at the agricultural institute, I told the students that sunflower, corn, potatoes, soybeans, all these crops that are widespread here now are introduced plants. And hemp, flax are our native plants, this is our culture. Even when they went “sowing”, they scattered hemp and flax seeds. And they said: “Flax up to the knees, hemp to the ceiling, so that your head doesn’t hurt.”

– There are currently a lot of ads on Facebook for hemp clothing and footwear. Where do the manufacturers of these products get the raw materials?

– I think, mainly from China. By the way, a hundred years ago, clothes made of hemp and linen were considered for the poor. And today the situation has turned completely upside down, as they say. These are expensive goods that not everyone can afford.

Clothes and footwear made of hemp are breathable, which allows you to maintain a comfortable temperature: cooler in summer, warmer in winter. Hemp is a natural antibacterial and hypoallergenic material that prevents the formation of fungi and the proliferation of bacteria.

In China, by the way, the army is already changing into military uniforms made of hemp materials. In Ukraine, such trends are not observed yet, but the issue, as far as I know, is being studied. In general, the use of hemp is diverse, the plant is used by almost 99%. The processed products of the plant are raw materials for more than 50 thousand products in various sectors of the economy.

– How much did the war affect the work of the institute? After all, the frontline zone is 15 kilometers from Glukhov to the border.

– They bomb, they bomb, unfortunately… They bombed the seed line at the Institute of Bast Crops, causing quite a lot of damage. But all the specialists are staying. They asked if anyone wanted to evacuate, but only three expressed a desire.

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